Wreck it Ralph – TGS Previews this Retro Gaming inspired Disney movie

Wreck it Ralph – Retro Gaming Inspired Disney Movie

Wreck it Ralph has been on the TGS radar for a few months now and the promises of Retro Gaming Nostalgia, wrapped up in a polished Disney wrapper, have been a tough one to wait for.

Disney did not let anyone down with this absolute gem of a film and thanks to a stroke of luck, Mark from TGS got the opportunity to go and see it 3 months before UK release.

Luckily for you lovely people he has the ability to tap his fingers on a keyboard and let us know all about it (No spoilers please)

Sunday morning in London. The Northern line is shut. The air is a damp cold version of itself and I should still be in bed drinking a hot cup of coffee.

Instead I am on the Piccadilly line with my eldest son Tony on our way to central London. We are excited to say the least and the opportunity to go and see a film that is not due out for another couple of months on our shores is way too much to turn down!

The Empire cinema in Leicester square is where we are headed and with tickets firmly in hand we exit the tube and walk only a short distance to get there.

On arrival at the cinema we are greeted by the characters from the film plastered all over the entrance. It’s nice to see and I couldn’t resist a quick snap with Ralph.

Once in the cinema and tickets checked we were handed a Wreck it Ralph advent calendar. A bit random and a lack of thickness tells us straight away there are no chocolate treats inside. 🙂

Wreck it Ralph welcomes us into the warm surroundings of the Empire cinema in Leicester square with the promise of Retro Gaming Love and does not fail to deliver instantly by introducing us to the Fix it Felix Jnr arcade cabinet…

The cabinet is not only nostalgic in-game terms but the makers have gone to the effort of scratching, staining and generally making it look like its been in an arcade for 30 years. There is no queue for the Felix machine, mainly because people do not realise the significance of it and the fact that it would mean so much to all of them in approximately 3 hours time. The game did not exist before this movie was dreamt up but the fashion in which it has been designed and developed in the cabinet you would think this belonged as much as Pac Man or Tapper.

The staff assigned to this film today had the pleasure of looking after a horde of children around a central table, providing them with the means to colour and create a mask or a picture of the stars of the film. There was an opportunity to play on a few Xbox 360s which had been set up with Sonic All Star Racing transformed, so as to show off the fact that Ralph is a playable character. Finally there is a chance to grab some popcorn and grab some 3D glasses from the cinema attendants. (Including special children’s sized glasses)

We made our way into the cinema and waited about 20 minutes for the adverts to finish. This turned out to be one time I was happy to get in before the film started as there was not only trailers for new films on show but also a heart warming short story courtesy of Disney Pixar. It was called “Paperman,” a silent story about fate and love. The short was directed by former Pixar animator John Kahrs, who used classic and computer animation to create a unique short film you will not want to miss.

It’s at this stage the film started and in order not to spoil it for any of our readers I will stop talking about it there. All I will say is keep an eye out for a load of absolutely amazing cameos from some of our favourite retro gaming characters. They can be quick so make sure you go toilet before the film!

Here’s my quick summary:

Wreck It Ralph is a video game inspired Disney animated movie that was released in the US of A in November. It gained great plaudits from the press and scored an impressive first weekend at the US box office with $49.1m (£30.7m) in ticket sales. The film is not due out here in the UK until the 8th of February 2013.

As a gamer and a parent to 5 and 15-year-old boys, I can honestly say wreck it Ralph triumphs in keeping everyone happy. You will not feel like you are watching a kiddie film as there are adult jokes but at the same time Disney do a great job of keeping the kids entertained.

I was really taken back to my childhood with the retro gaming references in Wreck it Ralph, the nostalgia keep on coming and caused enough big laughs to keep everyone happy. A thoroughly recommended film that you won’t want to miss.